Ukrainian Warplanes Strike Abandoned Russian Oil Tanker Used as “Command Post”

Ukrainian warplanes struck the "Mechanic Pogodyn" oil tanker that ran aground near the left bank of the Dnieper river near the Ukrainian port city of Kherson completely destroying its superstructure.

The oil tanker had run around some years ago but was suspected to be used as a command and intelligence gathering post, Ukrainian media reported.

However, a section of the Russian media said that the tanker was completely abandoned and had no economic or military significance.

The successful “hit” was announced  by the Commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk on his Telegram channel.

A video posted on YouTube shows the stationary ship’s superstructure going up in a ball of fire. A part of the structure is thrown up in the sky and falls down in the water. There is no sign of any personnel on the deck of the ship or in the water after the explosion.

“Given the accuracy of the hit and the large-scale destruction caused by the powerful explosion, it can be assumed that the strike was delivered by an American modified JDAM or a French AASM,” Ukrainian media commented.

"Mechanic Pogodyn" is located on the left bank of the Dnieper river Kherson region, 2.5 kilometers from the village of Vynogradne, Skadovsky district.

The ship was blocked in the port of Kherson by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies in 2018 who imposed sanctions on the ship. After the occupation of Kherson in 2022, the Russians tried to take away the tanker, but were unable to do so and it ran aground near its present location.